Massachusetts Man ‘Starting to Lose Trust in People’ after Act of Kindness Results in Him Losing his
“I’m really starting to lose trust in people,” says Matt Palmer, 33, of Hyannis, “You’d think signing over the deed to my house, transferring my retirement plan, and changing the name on my savings account to a stranger in need would give me better luck, but I guess not.”
The now-homeless Matt Palmer learned at a young age to treat others as he wanted to be treated, so he carried that lesson to adulthood, and when 29-year-old Corey Martin knocked on Palmer’s front door and begged for a place to stay, Palmer knew what he had to do.
“I decided to help him get back on his feet,” explained Palmer, “He told me he’d just run into some bad luck, and he swore he wasn’t a con man or a drug addict. He said it with such conviction that I knew it was true. So I took him in: my house was his house.”
At first, Corey Martin was gracious to Palmer, but after a few weeks, Martin seemed to begin to take advantage of him.
“He always had a convincing reason for everything he asked me for,” recalled Palmer. “He couldn’t get any student loans for school, so he needed me to put his name on my savings account and credit cards, as well as my mortgage and my car. It made sense to me, so I did it. He told me he was going to go to school, and he’d repay me as soon as he had a stable job and income.”
But unfortunately for Matt Palmer, Corey Martin was just an alias. His real name is Warren Fernandes, and he is a notorious con man and drug addict. Unfortunately, since Palmer legally transferred all of his savings, retirement income, and property to Fernandes, Palmer has no legal recourse. But Palmer remains oddly somewhat optimistic.
“I’m starting to lose trust in people,” he told reporters. “This is the fifth time something like this has happened to me, but I've come back stronger and smarter each time. I won’t be fooled again though. I know that.”
As we were interviewing Palmer on the sidewalk, one of the curious onlookers was a man in torn and dirty clothing with a long beard. He walked up to Palmer after the interview and told him, “If you give me your watch, I’ll help you out. You can stay with me until you get back on your feet.”
Palmer thankfully agreed, and gave the man his watch. The man looked at it for a moment, and then said, “Thank you. I have to use the bathroom, but I’ll be right back, and then we’ll get going.”
We stayed around for four hours after the man walked away, but he did not return. We will be watching with optimism as Matt Palmer attempts to get back on his feet.
